Ibiza Town

The capital with its walled area – declared World Heritage Site – is situated in the municipality of Ibiza (Vila). The city also houses the main institutions of the island and offers numerous services to travellers and residents such as hospitals, yachting marinas or business zones. The neighbourhood of la Marina, the Paseo de Vara de Rey or la Plaza de Vila are some of the main focal points of the city. At the same time, Ibiza boasts interesting museums, such as the Archaeological Museum or the Contemporary Art Museum and important historical sites. Among them is the necropolis of Puig des Molins or the ancient irrigation systems known as “portals de feixa” (Talamanca area).

• Old Town: In its narrow streets the presence of history lives alongside the charm of a happy town that is open to the world. Life flows around the Plaza de Vila and in the Plaza de Sa Carrosa or in the Calle de la Virgen. In the historic quarter there exist numerous artisans shops, art galleries, hotels and restaurants. Within the walled part you may visit the Cathedral, the Archaeological Museum, the chapel of San Ciriaco, the church of Santo Domingo and the Museum of Contemporary Art, among other places of interest.

• The Necropolis of Puig des Molins: Used as a cemetery for over woo years, possesses 3500 subterranean burial chambers. It is another of the points of interest in the vicinity of the walled town and it forms part of the elements declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

• The port of Ibiza: In addition to being the point of arrival for boats coming from the mainland it is one of the places where the majority of business activity and leisure is concentrated. Its reference point is the obelisk devoted to the corsairs, the only public homage to pirates that exists in the world besides the monument that the British dedicated to Sir Francis Drake. The obelisk of Ibiza was placed in 1906 in memory of the brave corsairs who risked their lives in the waters of the Mediterranean to save the endangered peace of the white island. Beside the port is situated La Marina district. During the day, the streets of La Marina are full of people who are going shopping, using the banks and offices of the zone, visiting museums and art galleries or making use of the sunny and peaceful mornings to read the paper and eat breakfast in the terraces of the most quaint bars. By night, it is the focal point of the offer of nightlife and in the summer months all the shops stay open until well after midnight. You can find lots of bars, restaurants and terraces which offer very diverse alternatives of leisure for couples, families and groups of friends.

• Centre of the city: In the city of Ibiza, in addition to Dalt Vila and the neighbourhood of La Marina, it is well worth while walking around the centre of the town in order to get to know such central zones as Paseo de Vara de Rey or Plaza del Parque, with numerous bars and shops. In Avenida de Espana, in Avenida Bartolorne Rosello and Calle Isidoro Macabich you will find the taxi rank and the bus stop for buses that go all over the island and there is a wide range of businesses and services available.

• Yachting marina: Do not miss out on a nice walk through the yachting marinas of Marina Botafoc and Ibiza Nueva as far as the sea wall where the big cruise ships dock.

• Beaches: As is the case with all the towns on the island, the capital also has its beaches. The beach of Figueretes is accessible from the urban centre; Talamanca is a peaceful beach with a family atmosphere and Platja d’en Bossa features the longest stretch of sand on the whole island.

A must-see: Dalt Vila
In Ibiza you ought to pay a visit to the acropolis, declared World Heritage Site. The renaissance era wall is composed of seven bulwarks. That of Sant Pere, also known as Es Portal Nou, is one of the entry points to the area, next to the Reina Sofia park. Soldiers were posted at this entrance to ward off enemies and nowadays it is the scene for concerts and open air activities.

Another entrance gate to Dalt Vila is Portal de Ses Taules, where the spectacular weapons courtyard is located and, further on, la Plaza de Vila, full of quaint restaurants, art galleries and craftwork shops. Following the way up, you will find the Calle de Sa Carrosa, from which you may gain access to the bulwark of Santa Llilcia, which houses the original gunpowder store that dates back to the 1.8th century. It is another fantastic place from which to gaze over the marvellous sight of the port of Ibiza and the bay. If you keep going up you will arrive at the town hall of Ibiza. From wherever you are you will always have the cathedral as a reference point and guide.

The Santa Tecla bulwark is located to the east of the cathedral and from there a short section of wall continues to end up merging into the cliff which serves as a natural wall as well as a privileged view point over the sea. Beneath the fortification there is a tunnel that communicates with the castle and the current site of the Ibiza town hall.

The Sant Joan bulwark was adapted to the needs of the 196os as a new entrance to Dalt Vila for vehicles with restricted access for residents, taxis and guests staying in the hotels of the area.

The construction of the renaissance era wall of Ibiza was encouraged by Charles I and Philip II of Spain in order to keep and defend the Spanish crown’s territories. When the island stopped being the target of attacks from Turkish and Berber pirates the acropolis remained for the future as a testimony to that time and today it serves as heritage for all of mankind.